The time which must come to all pols:
My immediate reaction was a simple one: Big Rat was leaving the sinking ship.
Pundits of all political stripes bent over backward to say that while they despised McGuinty the politician, they respect McGuinty the man. Reading through more than two dozen opinion pieces this morning the same meme kept cropping up: He's a terribly nice man. No, really he is.
I've never met the soon to be ex-Premier. He might very well be kindest man this side of Santa Claus. If so it is further proof of the corrupting nature of modern politics. It transforms decent man and women into political animals who, for the sake of power and prestige, betray their principles and promises. Decent men do not lie repeatedly and flagrantly to friends and family. If Dalton McGuinty is indeed such a decent man why was he such a reprehensible politician?
This is not a matter of ideology. Whatever you think of Bob Rae, Thomas Mulcair and Lizzy May they are sincere in their nonsense. Rae and Mulcair can certainly scheme and position with the best of them, but you know where they're coming from and likely where they're going. Even when Premier Bob Rae imposed his social contract there was an underlying logic: The province was broke. He was betraying the public sector unions in order to save them. They didn't listen to Bob and so helped usher in Mike Harris as a result.
Even by the low standards of modern politics Dalton McGuinty lied. He lied about not knowing there was a deficit when he assumed power in 2003. He lied about not raising taxes. Repeatedly. Shortly after Papa Jean left office, Paul Tuns wrote a book on the Chretien years entitled Legacy of Scandal. Paul might want to put out a second edition just focusing on the Dalt. Adscam was piker stuff compared to the McGuinty Years.
There was eHealth, the botched billion dollar plus attempt to electronically convert the province's health records. Rather too many of the contractors were "good friends" of the Ontario Liberal Party. The consultant plague that began in earnest under Mike Harris became an epidemic under McGuinty. Pricey hired guns brought in to tell bureaucrats how to do their jobs. The bureaucrats then went along doing their jobs much as before, the usual cosmetic changes notwithstanding. Then there was Ornge. Then there were the Oakville and Mississauga power plant cancellations.
It was the oddly timed cancellations, right before an election with at least two Grit seats in jeopardy, that is likely the proximate cause of McGuinty's resignation. The Opposition parties have been smelling blood for months. That some ticking bomb is ready to go off would surprise no one. The resignation and a well timed prorogation have shut down further investigations for months to come. The media will be too focused on the leadership contest. The legislative committees looking into the who and what cannot meet.
A nice time out to allow the Premier a dignified and profitable exit to the private sector. Rainmaker at a Toronto or Ottawa law firm is the most likely route. Perhaps some plumb international position. There is talk of the Dalt making a federal leadership bid. Nothing is impossible in politics. The Dalt's career is proof of that old cliche. Yet the odds are long. Premiers travel poorly in federal politics.
The last serious pol to make the bid was Bob Stanfield, back when McGuinty was a teenager and the Tories had very weak federal bench strength. As a politician the Premier could hold his own against Harper and Mulcair. But while he brings experience and skill he also brings baggage worthy of nine very expensive years in high office. The McGuinty record is, as the fighter pilots like to say, a target rich environment. The man himself is in his late fifties, though looks and conducts himself as a much younger man. After nearly a quarter of a century in the game, he likely wants to hang around with the grandkids and fatten the bank account.
The McGuinty Legacy is not an inspiring one. Fiscal recklessness in the name of government union appeasement. A bloated public sector. Ontario transformed into a have-not province. An electorally successful party certainly, but a success made possible by a remarkably inept conservative opposition. Faced with a well meaning fumbler (John Tory) and the Ken Doll of Ontario politics (Tim Hudak) the amazing thing isn't that he won so often but that he isn't sticking around for another term. Perhaps he senses that the Tories are now providing a real alternative. Perhaps.
If Dalton McGuinty has sinned he has had the willing support of millions of Ontario voters. They wanted free stuff and he gave them what they wanted. He was responding to the political marketplace's basic driving force: Greed. The capitalist only wants to sell you stuff. The politician wants to sell you someone else's stuff. These are venial political sins. The Dalt was worse than most but still within the bounds of respectable Robin Hoodery.
Yet above everything else Dalton McGuinty must be remembered for Caledonia. Here was a crime against peaceful fellow citizens. Thugs allowed not simply to terrorize the local residents of a small town, but to destroy law and order for years. The authority of our most basic laws was flouted repeatedly. Millions in property destroy. Peaceful men beaten for defending their property. The ugly side of aboriginal nationalism allowed to march triumphantly under the protection of the OPP. These were crimes against what it means to be a Canadian.
Dalton McGuinty did nothing to stop these crimes. Along with the morally reprehensible Julian Fantino, who by being a peace officer must be held to a higher standard than a mere politician, the Premier of Ontario did not merely fail in his basic duty. Dalton McGuinty betrayed the people of Caledonia. There is no excuse and no forgiveness. For such a nice guy he left a lot of very nice people to suffer and suffer badly.
Last night Warren Kinsella was desperately schilling for a McGuinty federal leadership bid. In other words he was desperately trying to get back into the PMO where he once, many moons ago, exercise some minor influence that he has parlayed into a very successful career as a consultant and strategic adviser.
All the best of luck to you Warren. I don't think the Dalt is foolish enough to make a federal bid, but hey weird stuff happens all the time. I hope he runs. I hope you advise him. And above all I hope the federal Tories find their balls and dig up every foot of film there exists on Caledonia and run it over and over again. They probably won't as it would implicate Julian Fantino. But there's always hope.
If they did, however, it would make Barney seem like child's play.
When Dalton McGuinty took centre stage at a hastily called meeting of the Ontario Liberal caucus in Toronto on Monday night, surrounded by his family, attendees knew what was coming before he’d said a word. After nine years as premier, he was stepping down. But not before proroguing the provincial legislature, to buy time, Mr. McGuinty said, for the cash-strapped province to either negotiate a wage-freeze deal with its public-sector workers, or reach an agreement with one of the opposition parties to legislate such a freeze into law.
My immediate reaction was a simple one: Big Rat was leaving the sinking ship.
Pundits of all political stripes bent over backward to say that while they despised McGuinty the politician, they respect McGuinty the man. Reading through more than two dozen opinion pieces this morning the same meme kept cropping up: He's a terribly nice man. No, really he is.
I've never met the soon to be ex-Premier. He might very well be kindest man this side of Santa Claus. If so it is further proof of the corrupting nature of modern politics. It transforms decent man and women into political animals who, for the sake of power and prestige, betray their principles and promises. Decent men do not lie repeatedly and flagrantly to friends and family. If Dalton McGuinty is indeed such a decent man why was he such a reprehensible politician?
This is not a matter of ideology. Whatever you think of Bob Rae, Thomas Mulcair and Lizzy May they are sincere in their nonsense. Rae and Mulcair can certainly scheme and position with the best of them, but you know where they're coming from and likely where they're going. Even when Premier Bob Rae imposed his social contract there was an underlying logic: The province was broke. He was betraying the public sector unions in order to save them. They didn't listen to Bob and so helped usher in Mike Harris as a result.
Even by the low standards of modern politics Dalton McGuinty lied. He lied about not knowing there was a deficit when he assumed power in 2003. He lied about not raising taxes. Repeatedly. Shortly after Papa Jean left office, Paul Tuns wrote a book on the Chretien years entitled Legacy of Scandal. Paul might want to put out a second edition just focusing on the Dalt. Adscam was piker stuff compared to the McGuinty Years.
There was eHealth, the botched billion dollar plus attempt to electronically convert the province's health records. Rather too many of the contractors were "good friends" of the Ontario Liberal Party. The consultant plague that began in earnest under Mike Harris became an epidemic under McGuinty. Pricey hired guns brought in to tell bureaucrats how to do their jobs. The bureaucrats then went along doing their jobs much as before, the usual cosmetic changes notwithstanding. Then there was Ornge. Then there were the Oakville and Mississauga power plant cancellations.
It was the oddly timed cancellations, right before an election with at least two Grit seats in jeopardy, that is likely the proximate cause of McGuinty's resignation. The Opposition parties have been smelling blood for months. That some ticking bomb is ready to go off would surprise no one. The resignation and a well timed prorogation have shut down further investigations for months to come. The media will be too focused on the leadership contest. The legislative committees looking into the who and what cannot meet.
A nice time out to allow the Premier a dignified and profitable exit to the private sector. Rainmaker at a Toronto or Ottawa law firm is the most likely route. Perhaps some plumb international position. There is talk of the Dalt making a federal leadership bid. Nothing is impossible in politics. The Dalt's career is proof of that old cliche. Yet the odds are long. Premiers travel poorly in federal politics.
The last serious pol to make the bid was Bob Stanfield, back when McGuinty was a teenager and the Tories had very weak federal bench strength. As a politician the Premier could hold his own against Harper and Mulcair. But while he brings experience and skill he also brings baggage worthy of nine very expensive years in high office. The McGuinty record is, as the fighter pilots like to say, a target rich environment. The man himself is in his late fifties, though looks and conducts himself as a much younger man. After nearly a quarter of a century in the game, he likely wants to hang around with the grandkids and fatten the bank account.
The McGuinty Legacy is not an inspiring one. Fiscal recklessness in the name of government union appeasement. A bloated public sector. Ontario transformed into a have-not province. An electorally successful party certainly, but a success made possible by a remarkably inept conservative opposition. Faced with a well meaning fumbler (John Tory) and the Ken Doll of Ontario politics (Tim Hudak) the amazing thing isn't that he won so often but that he isn't sticking around for another term. Perhaps he senses that the Tories are now providing a real alternative. Perhaps.
If Dalton McGuinty has sinned he has had the willing support of millions of Ontario voters. They wanted free stuff and he gave them what they wanted. He was responding to the political marketplace's basic driving force: Greed. The capitalist only wants to sell you stuff. The politician wants to sell you someone else's stuff. These are venial political sins. The Dalt was worse than most but still within the bounds of respectable Robin Hoodery.
Yet above everything else Dalton McGuinty must be remembered for Caledonia. Here was a crime against peaceful fellow citizens. Thugs allowed not simply to terrorize the local residents of a small town, but to destroy law and order for years. The authority of our most basic laws was flouted repeatedly. Millions in property destroy. Peaceful men beaten for defending their property. The ugly side of aboriginal nationalism allowed to march triumphantly under the protection of the OPP. These were crimes against what it means to be a Canadian.
Dalton McGuinty did nothing to stop these crimes. Along with the morally reprehensible Julian Fantino, who by being a peace officer must be held to a higher standard than a mere politician, the Premier of Ontario did not merely fail in his basic duty. Dalton McGuinty betrayed the people of Caledonia. There is no excuse and no forgiveness. For such a nice guy he left a lot of very nice people to suffer and suffer badly.
Last night Warren Kinsella was desperately schilling for a McGuinty federal leadership bid. In other words he was desperately trying to get back into the PMO where he once, many moons ago, exercise some minor influence that he has parlayed into a very successful career as a consultant and strategic adviser.
All the best of luck to you Warren. I don't think the Dalt is foolish enough to make a federal bid, but hey weird stuff happens all the time. I hope he runs. I hope you advise him. And above all I hope the federal Tories find their balls and dig up every foot of film there exists on Caledonia and run it over and over again. They probably won't as it would implicate Julian Fantino. But there's always hope.
If they did, however, it would make Barney seem like child's play.
RA has done a great job of laying out the litany of McGuinty’s baggage. Did McGuinty do anything right? Possibly on the education file a couple of things were improved but there is no indication that teachers are anywhere close to being managed as a meritocracy instead of seniority. McGuinty does deserve credit for implementing the lesser of evils tax, the HST, and also lowering corporate tax (although the Dippers have stalled that corporate tax reduction)
While it would appear the cause of the resignation might be the scandalous buying of a couple of MPP seats for perhaps as high a number as $650 million to cancel gas plants, the bigger scandal is the McGuinty government doubling the debt from $130 billion to $260 billion. That is a massive moral outrage of transferring fiscal failure to the next generation and beyond. All Liberal MPPs are responsible for that legacy, not just McGuinty and Liberals deserve to be in the penalty box for at least a decade.
McGuinty seems to think he can temporarily slam his government union base with a salary freeze and then by resigning allow the next Liberal leader, say the far left Kathleen Wynne, to have a clean slate to pick up the union base again. Maybe the Liberals can in fact do that.
Other issues that need attention are the Working Families Coalition of unions that is a de facto Super Pac of funding for the Liberals and its ads cause serious problems for the PCs. Also beyond the gas plant problem, the McGuinty energy programs and green programs are another massive witch’s brew of cronyism that needs auditing.
The problem we conservatives have is Hudak, who blew the opportunity last election to define the PCs. He finally seems to be doing a better job of defining the PCs with his Paths to Prosperity programs. Yesterday he also announced a plan to wrest the Toronto subway away from the Karen Stint naysayers and treat transit as a Provincial issue. But Hudak has lost the confidence of many conservatives who would otherwise help him energize the party.
How could Hudak atone himself for the disasterous campaign he ran the last time? He could promise as Premier to appoint Don Drummond as Deputy Finance Minister.
Posted by: nomdeblog | Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 08:33 AM
"Yesterday he also announced a plan to wrest the Toronto subway away from the Karen Stint naysayers and treat transit as a Provincial issue."
Yes, because transit in Toronto is an issue for the rest of the Province.
Posted by: Mikeg81 | Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 01:17 PM
"he also announced a plan to wrest the Toronto subway away from the Karen Stint naysayers and treat transit as a Provincial issue."
Oh goody he's going to blow money on lousy subways AND centralize power. I gave Hudak a chance and he has improved, but not enough.
I would not be surprised to see Ontario's next election mirror the Quebec election with the NDP getting a weak minority government.
Posted by: Cytotoxic | Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 01:47 PM
There are 7 million people in the Greater Toronto Hamilton area and it’s going to 9 in the next couple of decades. We already have grid lock and smog which will get a lot worse with the joining of several urban areas into a solid mega city. Hudak is correct to pick up the transit file which influences the movement of vehicles in a wide radius from Oshawa to Kitchener/Waterloo and thus about 70% of the GDP of Ontario which in turn is 40% of Canada.
The transit business case based on environmental issues plus productivity benefits of efficiently moving people should be obvious to all 3 levels of government and all parties. Metrolinx was set up to handle all that but McGuinty started tilting a windmills. So kudos to Hudak for finally tackling something that makes a lot more sense to the broader community than workfare for chain gangs.
Posted by: nomdeblog | Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 06:37 PM
Agreed about chain gangs.
However, the problems of transit in SW Ontario is a SW Ontario problem. You can shove your 'tyranny of the majority' to solve your local problems.
Posted by: mikeg81 | Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Mike the region you want “to shove” happens to be heart of the country ( sorry Quebec and Cross Canoe Alberta) and needs to be compared to the dynamic roles of their respective locales …NYC, Chicago, London, Paris, Singapore, Delhi .
The real “tyranny” is that our politicians for years have been using our tax dollars to coddle their government union base instead of wisely investing capital for things like transit to bring Canada’s only mega-City ( or Imperial Capital as RA likes to call it) to at least the transit level of Delhi ( they have 400 miles of brand new underground, we have 40).
Ontario should exit the LCBO union business and enter modern transit. Mr Hudak prioritize please, this is your chance to define what governments should be doing and exiting what the private sector could be doing. As Mitt Romney says " we should not be borrowing from China for Big Bird".
Posted by: nomdeblog | Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 12:42 PM
No. Rail doesn't work. The only thing that will is 1) de-amalgamation and 2) Toll roads. Everything else is just burning money.
Posted by: Cytotoxic | Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 01:30 PM
Cy you say rail doesn’t work. What do you base that on?
My experience in numerous cities all over the world has been that rail is infinitely better than buses which are slow and clog traffic.
Why do you propose to nail the middle class with tolls if you don’t first offer them public transit that works. We aren’t all born into the Liberal Limo set. How can you justify tolls screwing the poor schmucks who have to drive to work because the alternatives are too slow or non-existent in their neighbourhood?
What does de-amalgamation have to do with transit? People don’t travel to work according to some political jurisdiction.
Posted by: nomdeblog | Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 06:54 PM
That's strange, I could have sworn that mega-city became a mega-city for just this reason.
Now that you can't extort enough money from the surrounding areas anymore and your council is as dumb as a box of rocks(something not limited to T.O., but I digress), you now think the rest of the province should pay for your MUNICIPAL problems.
I don't want to pay for Toronto(or Hamilton, or Kitchener, etc.) transit any more than you should pay for Ottawa(or Kingston, etc.).
Posted by: Mikeg81 | Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 07:34 PM
“I don't want to pay for Toronto (or Hamilton, or Kitchener, etc.) transit any more than you should pay for Ottawa (or Kingston, etc.).”
Mike that tribal attitude is why the First Nations (600 bands) are about a million people and Canada is 33 million. Because there is a role for Peace Order and Good Government (preferably shrunken from what it is now) but required in areas where we can’t justify free market competition. So goes the economic health and productivity of the core of Greater Toronto and so goes the health of Ontario and for Canada. A lot more “equalization” is drained out this mega-city by taxes than is poured back in and a better balance has to be found if we are to compete in a global economy.
Subways are classic example of a utility where we can’t justify setting up competition. In fact we’ve not been able to afford the appropriate capital expansion of transit commensurate with the population growth because politicians blew the money on cronyism with their government union base, which is why the left still does not support investing in subways and much of the right does. We don’t need $50,000 unionized ticket takers. We need to invest in smart pass technology and automation throughout our transit. But the left is fighting that preferring to spend the money on their unions.
Posted by: nomdeblog | Friday, October 19, 2012 at 08:40 AM